Illuminated license tag and case



Feb. 5, 1924. 1,482,934

B. W. LANCE ET AL ILEUMINATED LICENSE TAG AND CASE Filed March 16. 1923 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 atto 'z neg 0 ma Tm ET, Em CN Eh LMM.a/ wmwj W A l .N B W w n /E 4 2 Feb. 5 1924.

Patented Feb. 5, 1924.

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BnnJAM n w. "LANCE ANDARTHUR E. OLSON, or GENEVA, ILLINOIS.

ILLUMINATED LICENSE TAG AND CASE;

Application filed March 16, 1923. Serial No. 625,649.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that. I, BENJAMIN W. LANCE and AnriiUlrE. ()LsON, citizens of the United States, residing at Geneva, in the county of Kane, State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Illuminated License Tag and Case; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full clear, and eX act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to illuminated license tags for motor vehicles, and has for its object to provide a device of thischaracter wherein the license number is disposed on a transparent member carried by a lightbox and is illuminated by an electric-lamp disposed within the light box. The electric lamp is preferably controlled from a position adjacent the light or away from the instrument board, thereby obviating the possibility of the operator turning out his light during a breech of tratiic regulations or at other times for avoiding detection.

A further object is to form the light box from a casing stamped from sheet metal, said casing being provided with spaced rearwardly extending extensions in a horizontal plane for the reception of rearwardly extending extensions carried by a reflector disposed within the casing, and with a struckout extension above the first mentioned extensions: for the reception of a reflector extension of a tail light.

A further-object is to form the reflector from a ingle piece of sheet metal, and to secure said reflector to a supporting bracket, which bracket is in turn secured to the rear side of the casing. Also to provide expansie ble members cooperating with ribs in a hinged cover for holding the license plate and glass and the lens of the tail light in the hinged cover.

A further object is to provide means whereby a plate may be suspended below the light box if so desired for displaying the name of the town or the city tax number.

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the. combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings, described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention. 7

In the drawings Figure 1 i a perspective view of the light box showing the same in combination with a forward light box.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of therear light box, parts being broken away to better show the structure.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure at is a horizontal sectional view taken on line of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the main casing of the device,

which casing is preferably stamped from a single piece of sheet metal and is elongated i as shown. The casing 1 is preferably oblong shaped as shown and horizo-nta-llydisposed and 1s provided with rearwardly extending struckout portions 2, into which the rearwardly extending frusto conically shaped portions 3 carried by the reflector 4 extend. By this particular construction a relatively narrow light box is formed. Sup ported in the frusto-conically shaped portions 8 are electric lamps 5, which lamps are carried by sockets 6, disposed in sleeves 7. The sleeves 7 are provided with oppositely extending arms 8, which are received in slots 9 of the members 3, thereby supporting the sockets and lamp. The casing 1 is provided with an upwardly extending integral extension 10, which is formed during the stamping of the main casing and is provided with a rearwardly extending chamber 11, into which the frusto conically shaped portion 12 carriedby the upper side of the reflector extends and supports the lamp socketfsleeve 13 by means of arms 14L carried by the sleeve, which arms extend through apertures 15 in the portion 12 of the reflector. The sleeve 13 supports a conventional form of electric lamp, which light forms a tail light for the automobile. Lamps 5 form illuminating means for illuminating a. license plate 17 disposed Outside of the transparent member 18. The portion a of the reflector l, which extends upwardly into the extension 10 is formed integralwith the main body of the reflector, therefore the entire reflector can be formed from a single piece of sheet metal and disposed within the casing 1. The rear wall of the reflector 4 is secured to a plate 19 by means of screws 20. Plate 19 is secured to the inner side of the rear wall of the casing l by means of? rivets 21. therefore it will be seen that the reflector issupported spaced from the rear wall of the casing, thereby forming room through which conductor wires may extend to the various lamps. The plate 19 is provided with rearwardly extending extension which extension extends through the rear wall of the casing 1., and is provided with a vertically disposed winged aperture 23 tor the reception of thevertically disposed, winged bracket arm 24 which is carried by the rearend 25 of the autotmobile. The bracket arm 24 supports the device as a whole and is securely held by the set screws a d 2?. set screw 26 extends through the reflector and plate 19 and engaged the h *ket arm However it is preferably p1 rrided with a lock nut :28 for locking the same against retrograde rotation. The set screw 27 also holds the device on the arm 2- however it may be used for holding various shapes of bracket arms, such for instance as a fiat, bar or a round bar. The lights are preterah controlled from a conventional switch 29 carried by the extension it. there fore it will be seen that the operator ot a vehicle will have 'to leave the vehicle to turn oii the light consequently in case of breech of traflic regulations the operator cannot quickly obscure the license tag. The lamps are lighted from a battery 30 and it so desired a forward light box 3i may be pro vided for the forward end 01 the vehicle.

Hingedly connected at 32 to one end 01 the casing 1 is a flanged cover 33, the flanges of which overlie the outer sides oi the casing 1 and extension 10 and form a closure for the light box, by means of which closure. acc may be easily had to the interior of the l, box for cleaning and repair purposes. he cover 33 substantially the transparent me her 8 and the license display indicia however to securely hold the same in cover a rectangularly shaped expan. member 3% is provided. which nieinbe' spaced points is provided with ontw rd extending ends which are received in struck out portions 36. carried by the flanged cover, therefore itwill be seen that term 0 F the transparent member 18 is securely held against displacement. The cover 83 is pro-- vided with an integral upwardly extending portion 37 substantially annular shaped in which the tail light lens 38 is disposed and held by an expansible ring 39, therefore it will be seen that the lens 38 is securely helc against displacement in front of the lamp 16 which forms the tail light of the vehicle.

The lower flange 83 of the cover is provided with outwardly struck annular flanged members 40. to which may be sus pended a plate 41 having a .city name dis played thereon or a city license tag it so desired.

From the above it will be seen that a tail light is provided wherein the main casing is relatively thin. artistic in its appearance and one wherein the license plate as well as the tail light is illuminated through tra... parent members carried by a hinged com). It will also be seen that the device :n y be easi v and quickly applied to a vehicle and tne parts reduced to a minimum. .=lso the lighting of the lamps within the light in controlled froma position adjacent the li box and at a point remote from the operators seat, consequently it will not be possible for the operator of the automobile to turn out the light to prevent the license plate from being easily read.

The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and useful is The combination with a license tag display light box, said light box comprising a main casing having rearwardly extent n52 chambers therein, license tag illumimang lamps a tail light illuminatng lamp. of a reflector disposed within the casing and provided with rearwardly extending extensions extending into the rearwardly extending chambers oi the casing. said lamps supported in the extensions of the reflector, a hinged cover for the casing, said hinged cover having means for supporting a license number in front of the lights within the casing and an upwardly extending extension having a lens therein adapted to register with the tail light when the cover is closed.

In testimony whereoi we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN ll. LA NCE. ARTHUR OLSON.

lVit-nesses CARL OPERBLAD, D. WALTER MCBAIN. 

